Week 20 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked […]

Sergio Romo Earns His 14th Save

Tampa Bay Rays closer Sergio Romo bounced back Thursday versus the Orioles from his terrible outing the day before. Coming into a one-run lead in the ninth inning, Romo would retire all three batters he faced to earn his 14th save of the season. In the past three days, he has earned a win, a […]

Aaron Boone Thinks Aroldis Chapman Is Fine

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone thinks closer Aroldis Chapman is physically fine after another subpar outing on Thursday. Chapman walked two and struck out two in a non-save situation against the Rangers on Thursday, and his velocity was a bit down as well. This comes after he gave up two earned runs and walked […]

Kenley Jansen Out For Rest Of Rockies Series

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen suffered from an irregular heartbeat on Thursday and was taken to a local hospital, according to manager Dave Roberts. Jansen will return to Los Angeles and will miss the rest of the series against the Rockies this weekend. Roberts said Jansen's condition is stable. It's a concerning issue, but […]

Kenley Jansen Under The Weather

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (illness) is under the weather on Thursday and will not be available out of the bullpen. It's nothing to worry about. Jansen started off slow but has rebounded and sports a 2.15 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.1 K/9 and 32 saves in 51 outings this year. He could be back […]

A's Acquire Fernando Rodney

The Oakland Athletics acquired relief pitcher Fernando Rodney from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for minor league right-hander Dakota Chalmers. Rodney has a 3.09 ERA and 25 saves on the season in 46 appearances for Minnesota. The trade saps basically all of the veteran's fantasy value, though, as he'll pitch in a setup role […]

Joakim Soria Has Groin Strain

Updating a previous report, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria (groin) suffered a mild right groin strain in his outing against the Padres on Thursday in which he gave up a game-winning grand slam. Only one of the four runs was charged to Soria, but he was charged with a blown save anyway. It's unclear […]

Corey Knebel To Be Given A Break

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said closer Corey Knebel will not be used in the ninth inning his next time out. “The next time out, we’ll give him an easier spot, for sure. But at some point, we’re going to try to work to get him back to big spots in the game," Counsell said. […]

Sam Tuivailala Lands on 10-Day DL

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Sam Tuivailala (Achilles) has been placed on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday. He suffered a strained right Achilles tendon while trying to catch Rougned Odor in a rundown on Wednesday. Tuivailala was only worth owing in leagues where holds are valued, but there's a good chance that he's done for […]

Joakim Soria Leaves Game With Injury

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria left Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres due to injury. It's unclear what happened to Soria, but he only recorded one out before being forced to exit the game. Hopefully it's just a day-to-day issue because the Brewers can't afford to lose Soria right now.

Andrew Miller Earns a Win on Thursday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller earned the win on Thursday, tossing a perfect inning, including a strikeout. Miller pitched the ninth inning of a tie game after Brad Hand had pitched the eighth. Cleveland won in the bottom of the ninth, giving Miller the win and moving his record to 2-3.

Mychal Givens Earns Third Save Of Season Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens picked up his third save of the season in Wednesday's 5-4 game against the Rays. Givens pitched a clean ninth inning, allowing no runs, hits, or walks with no strikeouts. Hopefully, he can find success into his new role now that things have settled with the O's roster. Givens is […]

Getting Into Contention - Preparing For the Stretch Run

While some teams are in full rebuild mode, other teams are consolidating and improving for the big push at the end of the season. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of a fire sale and acquire some useful players. Use your assets to contend now by managing your draft picks and minor league […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 19)

This week was a particularly slow week in the world of prospects; just eight rookies have debuted since the publishing of last week's column. With that being said, there are still a handful of newcomers worth highlighting and a bunch of returners still cooking with gas. As we come up on the end of the […]

Sergio Romo Takes The Loss Wednesday Versus Baltimore

Tampa Bay Rays closer Sergio Romo had a rough outing Wednesday versus the Orioles. He came into the ninth inning with a one-run lead. He would not record an out and allowed three straight hits, with the last one driving in two runs. He would take the loss, a day after earning a win. Romo […]

Cody Allen Blows a Save but Gets a Win on Wednesday

Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen blew a save on Wednesday but ended up with the win. He pitched an inning, allowing a run on two hits and a walk. He struck out two, but one of the hits he allowed was a home run to Miguel Sano that tied the game. Allen has been far […]

Blaine Hardy Roughed Up Over Five Innings

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Blaine Hardy did not have his best stuff on Wednesday afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels, taking the loss after allowing five earned runs and seven hits over five innings. He struck out three, walked one, and surrendered home runs to Kole Calhoun, Justin Upton, and Albert Pujols. The disappointing outing […]

No Structural Damage For Kelvin Herrera

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera's (shoulder) MRI exam showed inflammation and no structural damage. He will be shut down for three to four days, but the hope is that he can resume throwing next week. It's good news for Herrera, but he still may be out for a few weeks. […]

Ryan Madson To Close For Nats

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Ryan Madson will move into the closer's role, but the team will watch his workload like usual. Koda Glover, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, could also be used in high-leverage situations. Madson has a 4.32 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings this year and […]

Sean Doolittle Throwing Off Flat Ground Wednesday

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (foot) threw off flat ground without a boot on Wednesday and was encouraged with how he felt. However, he is aware that he cannot rush himself back. Doolittle was one of the best closers in baseball before his injury, sporting a 1.45 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 11.8 K/9 and 22 saves. […]

Kelvin Herrera Placed On DL

The Washington Nationals placed relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera (shoulder) on the disabled list on Wednesday with a right rotator cuff impingement. In a corresponding move, reliever Koda Glove has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse after two years of shoulder problems. Herrera blew the save in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Braves on Tuesday […]

Kenley Jansen Earns 32nd Save Of Season Tuesday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen pitched a clean ninth inning for his 32nd save of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 game against the A's. Jansen allowed no runs on no hits or walks with two strikeouts. The fantasy stud now has a 2.15 ERA and a 10.10 K/9 rate in 54 1/3 innings pitched […]

Craig Kimbrel Blows Save, Picks Up Win on Tuesday

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel blew his fourth save of the season on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Luckily, the Red Sox managed to put up five runs in the top of the tenth inning and allowed Kimbrel to pick up the win. Kimbrel has been struggling mightily as of late as […]

Kelvin Herrera To Undergo MRI

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera (shoulder), who has been filling in as the closer in Sean Doolittle's absence, left his outing early on Tuesday with right shoulder tightness and will undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday. Herrera entered a 1-1 game and allowed three hits and two earned runs in just one-third of an […]

Sergio Romo Earns A Win Tuesday Versus Baltimore

Tampa Bay Rays closer Sergio Romo earned the win Tuesday versus the Orioles. He came into the ninth inning with one out and recorded the last two outs on just six pitches. The Rays would win in the bottom of the ninth and earn Romo his second win of the season. He has 13 saves […]

Zach Britton Blows Save In Extra Innings

After New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton delivered a two-run home run to put the Yankees ahead Tuesday night in Chicago, manager Aaron Boone opted for Zach Britton to record the save. Coming off a pair of scoreless appearances at Fenway Park, the 30-year-old recorded two outs before surrendering a game-tying two-run home run to Jose […]

Sonny Gray Picks Up Win Out Of Bullpen

After 10 innings, the New York Yankees went to Sonny Gray out of the bullpen, his first appearance since a disastrous start against Baltimore spelled the end of his time in the starting rotation. The 28-year-old would emerge with a win on Tuesday, going three innings and allowing just one hit and one walk. He […]

Pat Neshek Picks Up Second Save Of Season

After Philadelphia Phillies closer Seranthony Dominguez failed to secure the save Monday night in Arizona, manager Gabe Kapler turned to Pat Neshek to secure the result on Tuesday night. With the club up by three runs following a big eighth inning, the 37-year-old had his first save opportunity since mid-July and would retire the side in […]

Bud Norris Saves His 22nd Game on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Bud Norris recorded his 22nd save of the season on Tuesday. He tossed a scoreless inning, allowing a walk and striking out one batter. Norris lowered his ERA to 2.87. He's been somewhat streaky this season, but has overall been a solid closer for most formats.

Kyle Barraclough Removed From Closer Role

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said that closer Kyle Barraclough will be removed from the closer's role in order to regroup. The Marlins will use a committee in the ninth inning. Barraclough has allowed 12 earned runs on 12 hits (three home runs) in his last six outings covering 4 2/3 innings, including three straight […]